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Tracing Macey Gardner's ascent to Pac-12 stardom at ASU volleyball

ASU V Berk
Arizona State University women’s volleyball takes on UC Berkeley in the Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015. ASU’s senior outside hitter, Macey Gardner (12), broke yet another record by reaching 1,872 kills and first on ASU’s kills list.

ASU women’s volleyball head coach Jason Watson was deep in thought. Senior outside hitter Macey Gardner had just broken the ASU record for most career kills.

“I’ve said it so often and I feel like I’m never going to do it justice, but here’s this phenomenal volleyball player that took a chance on not only me, but on Arizona State,” Watson said. “Her legacy, if you will, it seems strange that we should say that, given that we’ve got 16 matches left and hopefully a postseason, but her legacy is going to resonate throughout this year and next year and years to come.”

Her ASU roots span back to when she was 14. Senior setter Bianca Arellano’s father discovered her.

“I can still remember the day when my dad came home,” Arellano said. “Macey was playing up and my older sister played and she was like, ‘Hey, there’s this 14-year-old that hits the ball really hard and she’s playing on an 18’s team.’”

One of the most incredible aspects of her playing with girls four years older than her: Gardner did not start playing volleyball until she was 12.

Gardner said that the biggest difference between her 14-year-old self and the 18-year-olds she was playing with was her counterparts’ court vision.

“I was a see-ball, hit-ball kind of girl,” she said. “When you’re 18, you kind of notice the court a little bit better.”

She said that physically, she wasn’t much different than the older players. Developmentally, she didn’t have the experience.

“I was just out there to play,” Gardner said.

Gardner and Arellano entered high school.

“We finally get to freshman year,” Arellano said. “We were dealing out for club and we found Macey Gardner.”

In junior volleyball, club teams often take higher priority and are more competitive than high school teams.

Parents typically try to find good teams and players for their children to play with. Gardner did not realize the emphasis placed on this.

Arellano’s dad was the opposite of her parents in that regard.

“He’s scouting all over the place and here my parents are, just lounging at the matches,” she said. They don’t care, they don’t know anything. … Her dad comes and contacts my parents.”

She said that Arellano’s dad saw her play in a match at Gilbert High School in her freshman year. She and Arellano teamed up with now-senior middle blocker Andi Lowrance and joined Club Red.

“We were all raw,” Arellano said. “We were learning the fast offenses.”

That has translated into quick paces and success at a college level. That’s not the only similarity; Arellano said that even in the juniors, in a tight situation, the ball would go to Gardner.

“When any game was on the line, everyone probably knew the ball was going to her,” Arellano said. “But guess what — none of us cared. I was still going to set her.”

After four years, Gardner chose to stay in-state and attend ASU.

Gardner met middle blocker Whitney Follette in her first year. The two became roommates and close friends.

They also became leaders of the team.

As Gardner racked up kills, Follette saw her grow in a different way: vocally.

“I think the biggest change I’ve seen in her is her leadership,” Follette said. “She’s always kind of been that leader, she’d lead by example … but became more vocal.”

Follette said Gardner’s on-court IQ helped others develop new techniques and see different strategies.

Gardner quietly turned into a strong back row defensive player as well. Earlier this season, she became the 10th ASU player to record 1,000 kills and digs.

She’s still working to improve.

She said she’s trying to improve her range. Additionally, she said she’s developing skills at tooling the ball off the blocker — hitting the ball into the blocker so it goes out-of-bounds on their touch.

“In the Pac-12, you’ve gotta have those kinds of tools,” Gardner said.

ASU went through a 10-year streak of never finishing more than one game above .500. In 2012, it made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006.

It was Gardner’s first year at ASU.

She’s been a vital part of the turnaround of the team, and Watson still is in awe of her decision to attend ASU. He thought about it after she got kill number 1,872 – the one that broke the record.

“I think it’s a remarkable story that speaks to her character and to her personality,” he said. “It’s been a privilege to watch it unfold. It’s not often that you get to be a fan when you’re coaching … but when she got that kill, I couldn’t help but just be a fan of Macey’s.”


Reach the reporter at logan.newman@asu.edu or follow @Logan_Newsman on Twitter.

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Related Links:

Macey Gardner breaks ASU volleyball's all-time kill record in sweep over Cal

No. 6 ASU women's volleyball prepares for a top-10 test against No. 8 Stanford


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